Pound goes further for Brits abroad

Holiday money for Britons travelling abroad is continuing to stretch further, it was revealed today.

And those visiting South Africa are getting the best currency deals compared with a year ago, a survey by the Post Office found.

South Africa was one of 12 countries surveyed now having better currency rates for Britons than this time last year. A total of 16 countries were surveyed.

A year ago, Britons could get around 10.5 South African rand to the pound. But this has now increased nearly 21% to 13.27 rand.

There have also been big increases in favour of British tourists in the value of the Turkish lira (now 13.45% more lira than a year ago), the United Arab Emirates dirham (up 11.51%) and the US dollar (up 10.81%).

Of the countries surveyed only Poland, the Czech Republic, Thailand and Hungary offered poorer exchange rates for Britons this year than last.

The dip in the value of the pound against some Eastern European countries comes at a time when more flights are being offered to these destinations.

But Post Office travel head Kevin McAdam said: 'When you consider that prices are so much cheaper in Eastern Europe, these emerging destinations are actually very good value.'

He went on: 'The continued growth of sterling is part of a long-term trend that has seen the South African rand more than halve in value over the past decade. In that time, demand for safaris, trips along the (coastal) Garden Route and Cape Town breaks has mushroomed.

'Competitive pricing by hotels and safari operators makes South Africa a great draw for bargain hunters.'